Mom Date is a weekly escape with The World’s Most Interested Mom. This week, come along to the mind-blowing screening of the documentary film Eno.
I escaped the house late, as my kids binged another episode of Monk. An hour later, I sat in the dark at the Belcourt Theater in Nashville among a sold-out crowd. We were about to watch a film that had never been seen by anyone in the world.
Not even the director.
A New Form in Film
How can that be? Director Gary Hustwit came out before the show and briefly described the revolutionary technology that made this never-before-seen film possible.
Hustwit and creative technologist Brendan Dawes developed software that pulls scenes from 500 hours of documentary footage. Aside from the opening and closing scenes, as well as a handful of other locked scenes in the film that appear in every version, the selection and order of the scenes are different every time. And it’s not AI pulling the strings - the rules under which the algorithm works are programmed by humans.
The result is a feeling of palpable, breathless excitement in the audience. We were collectively surprised from moment to moment. Of the 52 quintillion possible iterations that could have played, this must have been the version we all needed to see. It was like getting cosmic-Eno-answers from a Magic 8 Ball.
I’ll bet these God-edits deliver every time.
Who is Eno?
The subject of the film is Brian Eno, a name I only heard for the first time when I bought my ticket. But music people know Eno is a legendary music producer. After seeing his approach to art and life, the reasons he’s put on a pedestal are apparent. Eno is a somewhat elusive figure, making a documentary about him all the more compelling.
The film has scenes from Eno’s art-school era, as well as present-day interviews (recorded when Eno was 74). You see him creating in his studio and reflecting on the music that inspired him to become an artist.
I drank it all in, deliciously present because this might be the only time I’d see a scene, ever. I feared the sound made by reaching into my popcorn bag would break the spell, so I went without.
Here’s some of what I remember from the film, which was followed by a Director Q&A:
Eno described how observing nature, in his garden and elsewhere, helps him make connections in music
Eno explains how the idea of his ambient music album Ambient 1: Music for Airports came to him:
I was in the Cologne airport… everything was beautiful, except the music was completely wrong…. Everything that was connected with flying was kind of a lie… they always played this very happy music, which is sort of saying, “You’re not going to die. There’s not going to be an accident. Don’t worry.” And I thought that was really the wrong way ‘round. I thought that it would be much better to have music that said, “Well, if you die, it doesn’t really matter.” You know? And so I wanted to create a different feeling that you were sort of suspended in the universe, and your life or death wasn’t so important. So, rather than trivialize the thing, I wanted to take it seriously, the possibility that you were actually now going to sit in space, which is what you do when you travel in an airplane.
The film was dedicated to Hustwit’s dad, who died last year. While his father was in hospice, Hustwit acted as “sort of a Death DJ,” playing songs that his dad had loved. As the end of his dad’s life drew closer, Hustwit said it didn’t feel right to be playing upbeat music like the Eagles. He started to play Music for Airports, sparking sudden movement from his father. It made Hustwit wonder whether, to his dad, visions of angels accompanied the sounds.
People got up to leave after the Q&A, but I wasn’t ready. I turned to the man on my right and said, “I don’t want it to end.” My theater-neighbor’s name was Jimbo, and he owns a record store. Jimbo felt the same. This was special.
Beyond this film, thinking about the potential that generative film has for reviving the movie theater experience is thrilling. If the movie you’re seeing in the theater is essentially live, then streaming at home is not a substitute (yet). Going to the movies becomes a can’t-miss event again.
Will it be great when streamers do, eventually, make this technology available for home viewing? Sure. But for now, the fun is in the collective, concert-like ride a generative film offers in-person. Make a point of catching Eno if you can.
Follow director Gary Hustwit on Substack HERE.
Recreate this Date
How: Check out upcoming screening dates HERE. San Francisco, Dallas, Austin, NYC, and more. Sorry, LA friends, your city is already sold out!
Travel Time: Knowing what I know now, I’d travel far and wide to see Eno, but you do you. A private screening for a group of any size is also available.
Length: Film length varies; 90-120 minutes.
Cost: Tickets were $30 in Nashville.
Inside Sports Photography
If you have an athlete in your life, you’ll probably love sports photographer Jean Fruth’s instagram.
Fruth co-founded the organization Grassroots Baseball with Jeff Idelson. Here’s a summary of their latest project:
We are thrilled to announce our groundbreaking documentary See Her Be Her. Our film on women’s baseball around the world follows the lives of seven star players at the pinnacle of their game who are forging a path forward for future generations of female athletes. The film will premiere on @MLBNetwork between Games 2 & 3 of the 2024 World Series.
Watch the Trailer
Peak Action and Other Tips
Treat yourself to a free date!
You can learn about the art of sports photography from Fruth in a free, one-hour online workshop called Sports Photography: From Grassroots to Pros. It’s full of enough insight to launch a sports photography career… or, just as important, help you get some really good action shots of your kids or pets.
What’s Your Genius?
Confession: I’m a business-and-leadership book nerd for no good reason. This week I read The Six Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team by Patrick Lencioni.
Lencioni breaks down the six talents that go into completing any type of work (wonder, invention, discernment, galvanizing, enablement, and tenacity) and helps you identify the areas where you naturally perform best.
Wherever you work, and even at home, it takes all kinds. Just as helpful as learning about your own areas of genius is understanding what makes members of your team tick.
I added this book, and a few others, to my Bookshop this week. Have a look!
What a cool concept!!